About

Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin

£2,160

pledged of £1,400 goal

125

backers

Prepare yourself for the explosive follow-up to the critically-acclaimed debut comic from author Dave Cook and artist Chris O'Toole. Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin is bigger, better and with a body count to rival any '80s action flick (well, except maybe Rambo III...did you see that s**t?!)

Bust: Issue #1 cover by Craig Paton

WE'RE FUNDED! IT'S TIME FOR STRETCH GOALS!

Thanks to the enormous generosity of our backers, Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin was funded in just under TWO DAYS! Thank you very much for taking the time to read our campaign and for believing in the project enough to back it.

So it's now time to talk about stretch goals. If we hit the following milestones, new rewards will be unlocked:

UNLOCKED!! £1,800- Bust 2 cover by artist Craig Paton - Craig did the astounding art for our Issue #1 cover, and he's already agreed to come back to create art for our second chapter. You can see his art site here (hire him!)

UNLOCKED!! £1,900 - Bust 2 variant covers by artists Sef Blyth, Rhiannon Mclean and Garry Robertson - Dave's good friends Sef, Rhi and Garry are doing us a pair of Bust 2 variant covers in distinct styles. Each will get a print run of just 50 copies to begin with, making these highly collectible.

£2,200 - Pack of five art cards for £10+ backers - If we hit this goal we'll give a pack of five art cards to all backers at £10 and above by returning Bust 2 cover artist Craig Paton, Iain Laurie of And Then Emily Was Gone, Janine Van Moosel of City of Lost Souls and master inker Garry Robertson.

£2,500 - Bust 2 gets a second print run - We'll do a second batch of Wasteland Ronin issues for sale at conventions and online. It also means we can send out more on launch day and can fulfil more preorders.

+MORE REWARDS COMING SOON ONCE WE'VE FINALISED THEM!

What's the overall Bust saga about?

Best-described as Mad Max meets Fight Club, Bust tells the ongoing story of Jack, a former card-dealer and con-man from Las Vegas. After a mutant plague turns America into a country of lawlessness, violence and decay, Jack and his family are forced to flee as insanity unfolds all around them.

They eventually find themselves in the city of Austin, which is ruled by billionaire businessman Eddie Scott, who rules erratically with impossible standards, tight control and savage punishments for those who defy his iron will.

Jack and his family approach Austin's walls

Jack eventually crosses Eddie the wrong way, who in return, turns our hero's world upside down, forcing him to pay off his debt by fighting wave after wave of mutant abominations in an arena. Months pass, and our hero becomes a hardened, scarred warrior.

His situation feels hopeless, but beyond the walls of his cell, the seeds of revolution are planted and the people grow restless. Inspired by Jack's bravery in the arena, they begin to rise up and rebel against Eddie's regime. But will Jack win his freedom in time to see this revolution come to pass?

What's Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin about?

Jack was a con artist before the fall in issue #1

After surviving his run-in with Eddie Scott and freeing the city of Austin from his vice-like grip, Jack wanders the wasteland in search of repentance after liberating the city of Austin and ushering in a new age of anarchy.

From the ashes of Eddie's empire, a new state of lawlessness sweeps America, and the southern states soon become known as the 'Free South.' It is a place where people do as they please, where dangerous gangs roam at will, and where decency is a trait lost to time.

With no city to protect, Jack aimlessly roams to punish the wicked and restore balance to the volatile world he helped create - a true ronin with no master. Crippled by guilt and anguish, his mind starts to splinter, leaving him unstable, quick to violence and dangerously unpredictable.

Jack doing what he does best in Issue: #1

The mutants have long died out, and the plague has evolved to target animals, presenting new, dangers and difficulties for what little population walks the Earth.

However, a new threat emerges - a notorious gang called The Smilers - which is systematically tearing what remains of the old world apart to fulfil their own sick agenda. The old hustler Jack takes his sword in hand once more and embarks on a new quest to take out the guy at the top.

But who is the mysterious leader of The Smilers and why does he have it in for Jack?

Hint: It's not Eddie (obviously! :P)

New heroes emerge, old wounds re-open and blood is spilled in Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin, the 35-page road epic that is a must-back for fans of the original.

The stakes have never been higher for Jack, and we would love to share the next chapter of his story with your generous backing.

Why should you back us?

Dave and Chris are humble guys who are a bit shy about talking about their own success, but Bust: Issue #1 received tonnes of praise at launch, and if they're being 100% honest - Wasteland Ronin is a real evolution from what went before as they've both levelled up their skills as comic creators.

Dave signing copies of Bust at the Big Glasgow Comic & Toy Fair

The writing in issue #2 is a huge step up and the art will blow your minds. Plus, Bust: Issue #1 was their very first independent release, which launched at Glasgow ComicCon '15, only to go on and sell over 80 copies in one weekend, and quickly hit over 200 sales in just two months. We're now over 400 sales, and in September we will be selling Bust direct to fans at MCM Scotland - the nation's largest comic convention!

In the comic's first review, Big Glasgow Comic Page heaped praise on issue #1 and said, "For just over 30 pages it fits so much in, without feeling too rushed. It is heart felt, brutal and quite dystopian. Speculative and full of twisted poetry (the visual and metaphorical kind, not the rhyming kind!) This is a tale of redemption, rebellion, karma and purpose. But most of all, metamorphosis."

We're getting really good at this whole comic thing, and we firmly believe that both returning and new backers will be rewarded with a better-told story that hits a pacing, character development and framing sweet-spot. We're fast learners, and we would love to share our next story with you.

Bust: Issue #1 stocked in Forbidden Planet Edinburgh

So have a look at the backer rewards below, check out the video above and if you want to get in touch to ask any questions, just head over to the official contact page on our site.

Thanks to everyone who reads this, seriously, we can't say it enough :)

-Dave and Chris x

Risks and challenges

There are always risks in comic book creation, but we're ready to kick those risks to the kerb because we ran a successful Kickstarter for Bust: Issue #1 last Halloween and we smashed our funding target, raising £1651 to make the series a reality.

So we've done this before and learned so, so much from the process, but after touring Scotland's comic conventions, earning the support of other indie and award-winning comic creators across the country - we've got the support, knowledge and common sense to deliver another high-quality issue for you.

Trust us, this will be bigger and better than what has gone before, no questions asked.

But again, if you want to ask us a question you find Dave on Twitter (@davescook) or use the contact form on our site at - http://bustcomic.com/contact/

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £65 or more
About $87

Free South Legend! They'll tell stories about you all over the land with a signed 35-page copy of Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin, signed A4 poster and you will be immortalised in the comic as a character - Thanks!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £80 or more
About $107

Ronin of the Free South! Legendary! You will get all of the above rewards and become a speaking-part character in Bust 2: Wasteland Ronin. You'll also get to do something wickedly cool in it too. Trust us! - Thanks!